Marsme & babies go on a shopping adventure ღ

[Esme Russel]

(http://25.media.tumblr.com/35b6702daff5d84d3fee016251db38d3/tumblr_mftxt3qFGl1qdkckho1_1280.jpg - Cici
blog.gypsy05.com/image.axd?picture=Ariana+Grande_ST_11.10.11_blog+3.jpg - Esme)
Esme had been a mother for over eight months now and she knew that crying and fussiness was just a new part of her life but Cassidy was taking that to a whole new level. She had been screaming her head off for the past two days non-stop and it was concerning, of course, because she knew that her daughter was unhappy and didn't know how else to vocalize her frustrations than to cry but she just didn't know what to do. She had tried to offer her the breast which was what the pediatrician said when she'd called because if she was feeling sick then the best thing for her would be breast milk but that didn't help at all. She didn't want it.. She didn't want the pacifier either or a bottle of pumped milk or even table food.

She felt like she was failing as a mother because she couldn't seem to get her daughter to settle down. She wanted her to be happy! But it just wasn't happening... "Calm down, baby.. Come on, we need to get out of this house." She was just trying to keep a happy face as she dressed her in a cute little colorful heart outfit and put on her adorable sock monkey hat. She didn't look like she'd been giving her mother hell for the past couple of days and Esme didn't look like she hadn't slept in two days but that was more to do with the fact that she'd done her hair and put on make up. "We're going to go see Mark! Yep.. and he's bringing baby Ren." She always told Cici what they were doing even if she probably didn't understand what she was saying.

Mark was honestly the perfect person to go to when she was feeling like this because something about him just made her feel better if that made any sense at all. It was just being around him and she felt like she could actually handle motherhood. She didn't have it the worst - she had Jonathan's help and if she really needed it then any of her friends would probably be over as soon as they could but she felt guilty taking people up on help especially when it wasn't offered first. She had spread her legs and been the one irresponsible enough to make the baby so why should she expect other people to take on the responsibility of it when they were obviously being careful sexually?

The drive to Carter's was about fifteen minutes long and she was so incredibly grateful for the fact that Cici had calmed down in the car and actually napped the whole way there. It was like she knew that they were going to go see Mark so she needed to be good and act like she was a perfect happy baby which was probably why nobody seemed to take her seriously when she said that Cassidy was not always an angel because she acted like one in public for the most part. None the less, Esme was just waiting for her to start crying so she kept her eyes on the backseat in the rear view mirror every couple of minutes for a second or two even though she couldn't see her daughter since she was still rear facing obviously and would be for at least two to three years. She couldn't help but think that she needed to go ahead and take the plunge and buy a new car seat for the unborn baby in her uterus.

She wasn't sure what the gender was but she just had this intuition that it was a little baby girl and she'd been told that it was usually correct. She'd been right with Cassidy and worst case scenario was that they had to buy a car seat cover to fix the fact that they had a pink one for a baby boy. It really wouldn't be that hard.. So she was going to try and pick one up today if she could and maybe a couple of newborn things... Okay so she was probably going to be buying a lot but that was okay, right?

It took longer than expected to find a place to park but she eventually found one near the store and got Cici out of the car along with her stroller and diaper bag.. God it was a hassle traveling with a baby! They need so much! She didn't see Mark's car so she texted him telling her that she was out front and just waited.

[Mark Daniels]

Renata was one of the few people that could make Mark feel peaceful. She was the reason why he even got out of his home. He loved showing her off to everyone he could like the proud older brother he was. Andy thought that the sight of her son being so welcoming to his new baby sister was precious. Even Tyrone, one of the people who knew that his son was weary of having a baby sister was surprised. Mark just couldn't dislike such a beautiful thing. He was happy around her, he did his best to be the best brother to her because like most people, he feared not being a good role model. One day he wanted Renata to be proud of being his sister and not embarrassed or ashamed.

She was an easy-going baby. Although, she did have a little pout look going on especially when Andy dressed her up in silly outfits like the cat one which neither Mark, Andy or Ty could get her to smile for the pictures they were taking of her. She was already so sassy. It made Mark slightly proud of that. He dressed her up in a soft, white onesie and beanie with the face of a bear. She had her plush blanket around her while she sat, fidgeting in the backseat and cooing every once in a while. Renata was curious of her surroundings and put most of anything in her mouth because she was beginning to teeth rather quickly. Most of the time she had on her pacifier but Andy read that babies who kept pacifiers in their mouth for a long time had no ability to read other people's emotions as they grew older. Call it a myth, but she believed it and therefore Ren wasn't wearing the pacifier she loved so much 24/7.

A motorcyclist passed by Mark's car and the noise startled Ren making her whine slightly. Mark shifted his eyes up to look at his rear view mirror to look at Ren who was almost close to crying. Of course, it was a very loud noise and luckily Mark had put the top of his convertible up or else she would have been crying already. "Ren, shhh, it's a motorcycle silly. It goes vroom, vroom but it's not a monster even if the person riding it looks a little scary..." he chuckled. They were at a red light therefore Mark could look back and tickle under her chin to make her understand that everything was okay.

Once Mark made it to the parking lot of the shopping center where he would be meeting Esme, he stopped the car and got out to arrange Ren out of her car seat and put her in her stroller. When he had Ren in her stroller all cozy, he took out his cell phone and read the message Esme had sent him. He glanced around after closing all the doors of his car and making sure he had put it on lock before walking toward her. He was wearing a white pullover sweatshirt, dark washed jeans and sneakers. Mark was wearing his eyeglasses because at times he got tired of his contacts and he had a hard time taking them out, too.

"Hey!" Mark greeted Esme as he and Ren approached the front of the store where she was standing waiting for him.

[Esme Russel]

Esme had decided when Cici was about an hour old that she was going to offer her a pacifier. She use to take any of them and didn't prefer any brand to another so they could use any of the ones that they had but now she would only take the MAM brand which was what she currently had in her mouth. She seemed a lot calmer now that she was out of the house and it appeared to have helped that her mother wasn't a mess anymore. The pediatrician had told her that babies can sense when you're too frustrated and will react to it but she was really just now learning how true that was. Cici was snuggled up against her now like the perfect little baby that she could be when she wanted to be. It wasn't her fault that she was fussy and Esme knew that. She wasn't holding it against her and despite what Chelsea had said numerous times in the past, she never ever even once wanted to shake her. She never blamed her infant for acting in a totally age appropriate manner.

Esme was smiling so big when she saw little baby Ren that you would think that she had never seen an adorable baby in her life despite the fact that she had her own infant and that she was currently expecting a second. "Oh my God! She is so adorable!" She cooed as she gently set her own daughter back in the stroller to take a closer look at Mark's baby sister. "She is going to be a heart-breaker when she gets older just like your big brother.. Oh goodness!" She was obviously quite impressed with the baby. "Would it be okay if I held her?" She didn't think that Mark would mind but she didn't want to assume. She was allowed to hold Mona and Milo when Kegan had them and she was around as well as BJ Beckatt and obviously her youngest brother, Jose and her own child. It seemed like Thalia was the only person who she knew who didn't trust her with their child but Thalia didn't seem to trust anyone other than Kegan and Kegan's mother.

She could understand that a little bit because she had been a little mama bear crazy when she had first given birth to Cassidy but she allowed most everyone to hold her regardless of that feeling. She knew that her friends and family were not going to steal or harm her daughter in any way, shape or form and it would be better in the long run if she let her get use to other people if she ever wanted to leave her with someone and it was helpful for the daycare workers that she was such a social baby. She was currently going through a bit of a clingy phase right now where she only wanted to be held by her mother or father. She loved being around other people but she would not tolerate them holding her which was another reason that she couldn't have someone else watch her even though she was feeling overwhelmed.

"Oh! And we should probably go in." She looked around at the people who were waiting for them to go in before leading them inside of the store and over to the newborn area so they could look at cute little girl things... Okay so she should probably be looking at the gender neutral things but the pinks and purples just called her name. She didn't think it was even possible for this baby to be a boy so she wasn't really looking at that section. She would obviously love and accept a son just as she would a daughter (she'd even been hoping a little for a boy in the beginning of the pregnancy so they'd have one of each and be kind of done with pregnancy and babies) but she just had a feeling that buying boy things would be a waste of time and money.

"It's like a sparkly pink Paradise." She whispered under her breath as she reached for a pink newborn 'Daddy's little girl' tutu outfit. "I really want to get this for the baby." She bit down on her bottom lip before looking back to Ren and then back up to Mark, "I just wanna hold her so badly..." She was easily distracted by cute things. Obviously. She lowered herself to reach the small baby's level and gently stroked the side of her face affectionately, "She's so beautiful."

[Mark Daniels]

A laugh escaped Mark when Esme approached Renata with such happiness. He smiled brightly before reaching out to greet Cici. "Hey pumpkin patch, how are you?" he knelt down and took her hand. Mark then looked back to Esme when she flattered him by calling him a heartbreaker. He was sure that she was trying to flatter him but he realized that breaking hearts didn't make him feel good. He smiled faintly before looking back to Cici. He smiled brightly and nuzzled her gently before rising up again.

Renata was more than flattered by the praise. She had a big cheeky smile on her face. "Look at you chubby cheeks, you like the attention huh?" Mark gushed, laughing and nodding, "Yeah, go ahead. My dad holds her upside down and she's always giggling. She's a little monkey, look at her." he was so happy with his baby sister even his smile was immensely sincere.

He then tilted his head to the side, "They just keep getting bigger and bigger!" he exclaimed with widened eyes. "Later on they'll be talking and everything." Mark smiled brightly before taking Ren's stroller and following behind Esme as they entered the store.

When they were at the toddler clothes, Mark had a particular eye for soft and pretty things. Clothes that were dainty but colorful and cute. He adored the bold colors but also the pastels. "I just love the hats with the animal faces..." he said with a gushing smile. "Yeah, here..." he put down the hat and then bent down to pick Renata from her stroller.

Renata was pouting but that was just her neutral look. "She can be a little fuzzy but I think if you keep calling her pretty, she'll start smiling and ease up." Mark laughed as he offered Renata to Esme.

[Esme Russel]

It'd been what felt like forever since Esme had held a baby that was this young. It'd really only been about well since Cassidy was that small so she wasn't that out of practice but it was still somewhat strange at first but she took to it pretty naturally like riding a bike only nothing like riding a bike. "She is so stinking cute." She gushed as she adjusted Renata so she was in her arms in a more comfortable position. She had almost forgot how easily that it was to hold a baby and shop. She'd struggled with multitasking while holding the baby at first with Cici but she had been kind of forced to learn since she didn't always have Jonathan with her in the beginning so she had to learn how to do things alone. The shopping wasn't going to do itself just like the house wouldn't clean magically and dinner wouldn't appear on the table cooked and ready to eat.

She was looking through various pink things in Cici sizes when she spotted it. It was the pink car seat that she had been looking for everywhere that she and Jonathan had gone to over the past week. She had been researching this Graco Myride 65 since she found out that she was pregnant again. She was planning on extended rear facing her second child as well so she was looking for something like this that she could use for a newborn and an infant so they wouldn't have to rush out and buy a new one when she outgrew it. "Mark.." She whispered with wide eyes as she stared longingly at the magical car seat. It was like a once in a lifetime shopping experience! It hadn't been anywhere online even!

She wasn't entirely sure how she was suppose to explain such a purchase to Jonathan when he found out but she didn't think that he would be able to get too angry about it. She was simply looking out for their child's best interest and safety which was to have the best car seat available to them. She'd shown him the horrible videos of children who had died in car accidents and the crash test dummy babies with broken legs from being faced forward too soon so he should know that she was serious about this. She was serious about every parenting choice that she made hence why she was suffering through painful breastfeeding while pregnant because she wanted to make it to at least two years old.

She gently set Renata back in her stroller so she could lead the little group over to the car seat. She saw that there was only one and basically ran to get a cart okay so she didn't really run because she was getting winded pretty easily at this stage in her pregnancy. It was common in pregnancy so she never really worried about it but it did make it difficult to continue running laps for cheer practice but Cherry seemed to be slightly understanding of this. "I need to buy that car seat." She said finally after she returned with the cart. She wasn't going to leave without it regardless of how much that it might cost. She needed it. She glanced from Cassidy to Mark to the car seat which was above her head. How was she suppose to reach that without hurting herself? Damn.

Wait..

"Hey Mark, can you reach that?" She was only 5'2 so it would make sense that there were things on shelves that she was simply too short to get to whereas Mark was taller and could easily grab it and he was in football so he had to be strong, right?

[Mark Daniels]

When Esme stopped and looked elsewhere as if she was mesmerized, Renata looked too. She widened her green eyes and her mouth opened slightly. The baby girl was surprised even if she had no idea what was so surprising. Mark blinked blankly before turning his head to where Esme was looking.

"Wow Ren looks just as surprised as you do." he laughed before looking back to Esme as she explained how badly she wanted that car seat. After she put Renata back in the stroller, he followed to where the more, heavy gear was.

The car seat was in a high place and a little heavy but Mark probably could get it down. It didn't hurt to try. "I think I can!" he nodded before reaching up and slowly putting his hands on both sides of the box. He then lifted it up over his head before letting it rest against this chest and stretching his arms as far as possible, holding it tightly. Mark then leaned down slightly before making sure the box had touched the floor. "Phew!" he exaggerated even if it really had been no big deal.

Renata was still a little wide eyed. She had that habit of zoning out.

[Esme Russel]

Esme wasn't surprised that Mark had managed to get the heavy looking box down from the shelf. He was a big strong teenage boy! How could he not? She could lift it up off of the floor and place it in the car fairly easily so that wasn't too difficult but it would have been risky to lift it over her head especially when she was pregnant. It wasn't that she believed the myth that lifting your arms over your head put you at risk of the cord wrapping around your unborn baby's neck because she knew that wouldn't happen but she didn't want to drop it on her head because she wanted to do everything on her own. She didn't really understand how to accept help without feeling like she was taking advantage of other peoples kindness. She was never the type of person who wanted to accept that she couldn't do everything on her own but motherhood was making her realize that there was some mild truth in the old phrase that it takes a village to raise a child.

"I know that it's pretty and pink and that's probably not good just in case Jonathan and I do end up having a boy but I really have this feeling that we're having another daughter." She could very easily be wrong and she wasn't going to go around and announce to the world formally that she was having a second daughter because they could go to the sixteen week sonogram and find out that they were having a boy and then she'd look like an idiot. Cassidy was still perfectly content with her MAM pacifier like her world was finally at peace at least for the time being. "What does mommy's girly think? Are you going to have a baby sister?" She cooed enthusiastically at her eight month old with the full knowledge that she would not understand and that she would laugh regardless of what she said.

Really, she was just the happiest baby in the world when she was in a good mood and everything was calm. She laughed and smiled whenever anyone spoke to her in that happy tone or any tone which was probably going to make future discipline difficult at least for her mother who had trouble even thinking about punishing that sweet face. How could she not just give her everything that she wanted in the whole entire world? Yeah, she had the makings of a very spoiled little princess which she already was. She so much as looked at a toy and it found its way into the cart well at least when she was with her mother.. Jon bought her laundry baskets.

"So, Mark..." She kind of wanted to ask about Chelsea but she didn't really know how to bring that kind of thing up. What was she suppose to say? So tell me about that whore that you're dating? Dump her? No, she couldn't control him. She was not his mother! "Um, do you want to go back over to the clothes? I want to pick out a couple of things for Ariel." She was already calling her by a name.

[Mark Daniels]

Mark reached his hand up to the bridge of his eyeglasses and pushed them up. He then smiled before looking to Renata. He then crossed his eyes and stuck his tongue out and she began cooing joyfully. He then looked to Esme and nodded, "It looks really efficient. The one we bought for Ren is pretty good too. She's comfortable in it, I think." he laughed before raising an eyebrow.

It seemed Esme had wanted to ask him about something but when she finally said something, he guessed it was about that. Honestly, he was trying to not think of the Chelsea subject. Speaking of his mom, Andy had gotten an update on her phone while connected to Facebook when Mark had changed his status. She was confused at first, and she then stalked Chelsea's page and automatically put her in her black list. Not to mention she saw the comments she had put on people's pages. Honestly, she had no idea what her son was doing. He was too lovely for Chelsea. Andy felt that she didn't make good children to just give them up to just anybody.

Mark was oblivious to the fact because Andy felt that he would do what's right even if his dad knew about it too. And he had asked him about her but Mark just lied and said she was nice. Yeah, Ty wasn't buying it.

"Ariel? As in for The Little Mermaid?" Mark asked as he began making his way to the baby clothes once again. He wasn't entirely creative with names. He would probably end up coming with one the day before his child was born or something.

[Esme Russel]

Esme was half tempted to make a sarcastic comment about it being Ariel from her favorite porno or after a stripper that she had met during her dancing days or something but she figured it would be horrible if some up-tight mommy heard her and thought that she was really naming her baby after someone who had sex for a living. "Yep! Did I ever tell you the story of how we chose the name? Ariel is because when we found out, I knew already some names from Cici that we liked but didn't use and I wanted to get her involved but she was too little so I wrote in frosting on these baby cookies that she could have names for girls like Elizabeth, Katherine and Miranda after your mother and I also had The Little Mermaid DVD case next to me but that wasn't a name option and Cici reached for movie and I thought that well we can't name her Mermaid so maybe she's too young for this, which she definitely was, but Ariel actually sounded like a really cute potential name. I guess that it just kind of stuck and the middle name is Dallas after Dallas because Mark isn't exactly an at all feminine name, no offense." She simply could not have a daughter named Ariel Mark Russel.

She was still trying to think of a good way to bring up Chelsea but there didn't seem to be a good way to. She hadn't known her as long as Isabel had. She and Isabel had met at the same kindergarten for little rich children so they had basically known each other their whole lives and she had only met her in the seventh grade so she wasn't sure if she was even the best person to talk about her to. What was she suppose to tell Mark? Honestly, nothing would come out right because Shana had just made things worse. You cannot tell your best friend to date who you want them to date and not be with who you don't want them to be with because you aren't their parent and they don't need you to raise them. Sure she often got involved in the private lives of her friends but she knew Mark well enough to know that it wasn't going to work on him.

Maybe he just saw a side of Chelsea that nobody else did or maybe she was just a really good lay.. Who knows?

She almost walked the stroller into a rack of newborn frilly pink dresses because she was so lost in her thoughts which was good because it would have probably startled Cici who had finally fallen asleep. It was honestly such a relief that she was sleeping because she, like her mother, had been awake for so long that it couldn't possibly be healthy for someone so young who needed sleep for brain development. "I can't find anything that just screams perfect for my baby." She admitted with a small frown. It was probably because she wasn't really looking. She had only found the car seat and the daddy's little girl tutu outfit. "Can you see anything that's like.. Mermaid-y?"

[Mark Daniels]

"None taken." Mark said, smiling softly and shaking his head while looking through a rack of footie pajamas. He then glanced to her before tilting his head to the side. She looked lost in thought which worried him slightly concerning that she was pregnant and he didn't know if she was stressed or simply thinking. "Are you okay?" he asked her, putting back the giraffe pajamas.

Shoshana reacted in such way because despite that Mark was old enough to make his decisions at times, those decisions made us or broke us. She didn't think he needed Chelsea in his life. He was better off alone if he was feeling so lonely. Riley had told him that she loved him no matter what he did because she wasn't one to waste spit and strain her fingers by bashing Chelsea or giving Mark reasons why she wasn't good for him. Mark perfectly knew.

As for Leo and Aubrey, they were silent but they were guys and they knew the only reason why Mark even gave Chelsea the time of day. However, now that Chelsea had insulted the love of Aubrey's life saying she was bound to end up bad, Camila being that love, he explicitly told Mark to Get her the H away from him and his family. Still, Caroline was the one who was friends with her. Mark just wanted out but he didn't know how to break up with Chelsea. She was not even worth a text message.

"Woah..." Mark said when Esme almost crashed he then looked to her and asked, "Mermaid-y? How about this?" Mark showed her a light purple and green onesie that had the design of a seahorse with a tiny white bow.